Breaking Apart
by sassywriterchick
Summary: Fairy Tail is in deep trouble. A unique force threatens the whole world, and the only thing standing between the Duchess and destruction is a select few. *Sequel to Breaking Point*
1. Someday

**THIS IS A SEQUEL. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST PART, I SUGGEST YOU DO SO NOW. a/n: **Welcome to my new story! I hope you all enjoy itJ

**Someday**

_Someday I hope, we'll return to normal. Someday the pain we felt will only be a distant memory, washed out and faded. Someday we'll tell the stories of what happened, of the things we went through. Someday, we'll move on, find happiness again. _

_ For now, however, we are trapped. We are trapped in an endless maze of new twists and dead ends, and even I'm starting to give up. Where's the exit, and how do we find it? _

_ -Taken from the Diary of Lucy Heartfilia, during her time under the Duchess's reign. _

…

"Let me guess," she said as soon as he entered the small café she worked at, "Your usual Mr. Eucliffe?"

He nodded, smiling. "You know me well," he said, and she smiled at that. She smoothed her hands over her apron. "And please, call me Sting."

"That wouldn't be very professional," she said quietly, but her brown eyes brightened considerably. "One apple pie coming up!" she trilled, turning to the pastry case.

She passed it over to him, and he took the warm plate gratefully. "Thank you," Sting said, "Yukino." She nodded and flounced away to help another customer, leaving him to eat his pie alone.

When he got up to leave, his pastry eaten and his belly full but his heart empty, she waved at him.

"See you tomorrow Sting!" she called, and he waved back. He watched her for a moment before he fully departed to go back to that hellhole of a cave, with sad brown eyes.

Maybe she'd remember him tomorrow.

…

Natsu's pencil scratched against the paper, the sound the only audible thing in the room. The writing on the paper was wobbly, messy, but readable. His hand moved fast, knowing Lucy would be back from her annual meeting with Loke soon. He had to leave her a note before then.

He wasn't sure why he kept leaving her notes instead of facing her himself, but it worked. He was one of the best fighters they had, he was constantly on missions. He didn't have time to stop and talk with Lucy. At least that's what he told himself. It was easier this way, so much easier.

It wasn't like he was good with words. The notes he left her usually composed of a few short sentences, describing where he was going and whom he was going with.

He was never going with her. In a bout of pure frustration he shoved back the note onto her bed, flinging the pencil to the ground. He raised a weary hand to scrub at his eyes, sighing. This new war had changed them all.

After Gray's funeral, Lucy had pulled him aside. Her brown eyes had been wide, her face tearstained. _"We're just friends, right Natsu?" _she had asked him, as if looking for some sort of reassurance that any commitments they had made over the last three years didn't matter.

_"'Course Luce!" _he had exclaimed, but inside a new mixture of emotions swirled, ones that he had never felt before.

Natsu wasn't good with feelings in general. He knew the basic ones, angry, happy, and sad—but the ones Lucy had sparked inside of him were so new and unfamiliar he didn't even know what they were. Usually when he didn't know what things were, he beat it out of someone. That was the simple way of doing things. With these types of things, he was to scared to ask someone else. That could be potentially dangerous. What if it was something the other him, the one without his memories would have felt?

It was easier to keep leaving her notes, not looking her in the eye, so he didn't have to feel those emotions again. All he wanted was his friends and family back, and to beat the shit out of the Duchess.

He left her room then, carefully, so no one could see him.

…

_Thump. _The dagger hit the middle of the target with perfect accuracy, not a millimeter out of place. Erza drew back her arm again, already reaching for another dagger.

_"You're going to break the target if you keep hitting it like that," _a voice said from behind her. Erza didn't even need to turn around to see who it was. She didn't answer, but threw the second knife. It wobbled as it flew, but it still hit the center. The target cracked in two, the pieces falling to the floor. _"Told you so," _the voice said smugly, and Erza turned around.

There he was, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, inky hair stuck up in ruffles all around his head. He was wearing the pajamas he had been in when he died, and the chest area was soaked with blood.

"Shut up," she growled, and stalked across the room to pick up her fallen knives.

"Who are you talking to Erza?" Wendy slid into the room unannounced, long blue hair swishing. The other girl now looked like she was Erza's age, but she had accepted the changes in herself over the past few years. Wendy was the only one out of them all that had changed the least, personality wise at least.

"Nobody," Erza said, wiping the sweat from her brow. Gray moved to stand behind Wendy.

_"Just a ghost," _he said in that haunting tone, a smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. "_Isn't that right Erza?" _

Erza ignored him. "What did you come to talk to me about?" she quickly reequipped into the normal clothes for someone that lived in the caves.

"Mira-san wants you in the conference room," Wendy said, cocking her head to the side, "She says it's important."

"It's always important," Erza muttered, shoving her short hair back. "Thank you Wendy, I'll get right on it."

_"You better hurry," _Gray said from behind her as she left the room.

…

"Natsu's information is reliable," Laxus said, slamming his palm onto the desk in front of her. Mirajane's blue eyes flickered up to meet his scowling form. "Are we just going to stop trusting our guild mates now?"

"I never said Natsu's information wasn't reliable," Mirajane said, tapping her fingernail on the desk, "I'm inclined to believe it in fact. I'm just saying we need to meet with Erza and decide when she's here."

"We could be losing precious time here," Laxus replied, but was cut off as Erza entered the room.

"You're the one wasting time Laxus," Erza said coolly, "Don't argue with Mirajane." Mirajane nodded her appreciation, and pushed back her white hair with one hand. It was so hot in here, the heat pressing over her like a mask. The heat is always there though, melting her bones, turning her blood to fire. "What was Natsu's information?" Erza asked next, turning her narrow gaze onto Mirajane.

Mirajane fought off the urge to shudder. Erza was still one of her best friends, that much was true, but something had changed in the scarlet haired girl since Gray died. It was like something had wilted inside her, until all she was negative emotions and fake promises. Of course, she was a very good leader despite her new cold attitude to everything.

"Natsu says he found the location of where the Duchess is manufacturing her weapons," Mirajane said. The Duchess did indeed have an army, squadrons of soldiers that were constantly hunting them, all equipped with weapons far beyond their capabilities.

"Good," Erza said, her eyes glittering. "Well you know who we're going to have to send on this particular mission. It's importance is to significant to give it to just anyone." Mirajane lifted her chin, and smiled a genuine smile at Erza.

"You mean our strongest two."

"Of course," there was something like amusement in Erza's tone.

"But our strongest two are—" Laxus started and broke off. "You two cannot go in there!"

"We just need a plan," Erza said, "I'll ask Lucy to help, she's good at that kind of stuff."

"We don't even know if the weapons are really being made there!" Laxus protested.

"Who cares?" Mirajane surprised herself by asking, her voice bitter. "She hasn't spared any of our places, why should we grant her a favor by passing up this opportunity?" Laxus still looked quite angry, but Mirajane shook her head firmly. "This is our choice," she told him firmly. He sighed.

"I know," he said softly, "I just wish it wasn't like this. We've been on the run for two years, and we're lucky she hasn't found the caves. We should be figuring out how to lift the memory curse, not focusing on destroying weapons."

"We need to take her down before lifting the curse," Erza said, her voice hard. "And for that to happen, we need to cut off all her other means of support." And she turned and left the room, but not before calling over her shoulder, "I'll consult with Lucy, you need to be ready Mira."

"She really has changed hasn't she," Laxus muttered, looking after her.

"Yeah," Mirajane whispered, her voice sad. "She really has."

…

"You're going to do what I ask," the Duchess snarled, and her hand cracked hard across his face. His face broke into a grin, and he laughed. The laugh was lacking his normal light though, and as his eyes lifted to meet her's, they were cold. Ice cold.

"Like hell," Gray Fullbuster spat, and the Duchess punched him in the stomach, making him sputter for air.

"You will do what I say in the end," she whispered, her fingers moving to grip his chin and force his face up so he was looking at her. "In the end."


	2. No Light

**Okay, so I realize how late this is. But I have made a decision, and I think you should know about it. **

**In order to make this easier for me and better writing for you, this story will now be updated every other Friday unless other complications arrive. Compredo?**

** On a side note, people have been asking about Romeo—answer is in this chapter! Also, I hope people paid attention to the last chapter of Breaking Point, because as I've mention, Ur is alive and not… ice. **

…

"You need my help in devising a plan?" Lucy asked brightly, her brown eyes lighting up with excitement. She eagerly scooted forward and deposited herself in a chair, folding her hands in front of her.

"Yes," Laxus replied shortly, and something about the tone of his voice hinted that he wasn't exactly happy with this choice of supervisor.

Lucy had always been good with plans though, Erza reckoned to herself, tapping one hand against the table.

_"She's not as good at coming up with strategies as you are," _Gray said from behind her, but she ignored him. He wasn't really there after all. He was just a figment of her imagination, a ghost sent back to haunt her. A ghost that was sent because she hadn't saved him in time.

"Lucy will do just fine," Erza said, and although it was meant to be a compliment, she knew her voice was cold. This was a war; she wasn't supposed to be warm and friendly.

"Okay, well these are -wait is this Natsu's report?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Yes," Mirajane answered.

"He was here? And he didn't even say—" she broke off, "Anyways, this does look like it's the place where the Duchess is producing the weapons for her army. Obviously, we need to take it down. Without causalities."

"That would be preferable."

"Well, that means someone should sneak in—"

"Mirajane and I will be the ones going in on this mission," Erza supplied. Lucy nodded, her face scrunching together as she deciphered Natsu's cryptic handwriting on the report.

"If one of you could get in and pull the fire alarm—" Lucy trailed off again.

_"C'mon Erza," _Gray said, scratching at the dark red spot on his chest, _"This is your chance to take charge. That is what you wanted isn't it?"_

"We could take out a few of the guards and dress up in their uniforms!" Mirajane suggested brightly, and Erza looked at her curiously.

"It did sort of work in the case of Deliora," Lucy puckered her lips in concentration, staring down at the plans. Nobody said anything. Deliora was not something they liked to talk about, mostly because it was something that still frightened them. Could the Duchess really create something like that?

"Well maybe it can work now," Erza said, trying to morph her voice into something positive.

"Maybe" Lucy didn't sound very optimistic.

"Let me rephrase that, it _has_ to work."

_"That's my girl,"_ Gray whispered huskily into her ear. She ignored this, and instead continued.

"I mean, we're going to leave tonight."

"WHAT?!" Laxus demanded, speaking up for the first time.

"You heard what I said. We're leaving tonight. Mira, pack your bags."

"You're crazy," Laxus said, moving around the table to reach out and grab Erza's wrist. She flinched away from him as soon as he got close, and then stiffened her posture, cursing her weakness. She was not a flincher.

"Laxus, don't," Mirajane walked up until she was inches from his face, her blue eyes trained on his face. Years ago Erza would have wondered what that meant, but those days were over.

_"Don't let their romance interfere," _Gray warned, and a drop of blood rolled from the corner of his shirt and hit the floor. As soon as the tiny droplet splattered against the tile, it vanished, once more proving that this was the dream. Gray was dead.

"We're leaving now," she instead said, pushing her way out of the room.

…

Lucy crumpled the note angrily in her fist, the paper making a satisfying crunching sound as she crushed it into a pulp. Crossing across the room, she then lifted up the edge of her mattress and threw the paper in-between the place between the mattress and the hard wooden slats. It landed amongst many other papers, which all lay like fallen soldiers as she slammed the mattress back on top of them.

Natsu was just giving her another excuse, another reason not to see her face to face. Not only that, but Erza had called her down to give them a plan, and then didn't even let her plan anything.

They were just trying to make her feel less useless. Lucy's hand suddenly tightened into a fist, one she slammed into the wall. Her keys had been taken by the Duchess and apparently given to Angel, and so far they hadn't been able to get them back. Loke always managed to escape and tell her news of the others using his own power. So far, Loke was the only inside source they had.

Well that, and Natsu seemed to always been turning up with useful information. Helpful information he was getting _without her_.

She bit down on her tongue, hard. She was not about to start crying over some stupid rosy haired boy that she was already over.

She was over him right?

…

"This is a suicide mission," Laxus sighed, rubbing aggressively at his eyes with his palms. Mirajane looked up, regarding him with cool blue eyes.

"You don't know that," was all she said.

"You know it, don't you?"

"I'm just following orders Laxus."

"Bullshit."

Mirajane turned back to what she was doing. She was methodically packing everything she needed for the mission; it was suspected that it would take several days more then usual. She and Erza may have to spend the night in some forest, and they wouldn't want to be caught unprepared.

"Mirajane _please_," Laxus begged. Mirajane's head snapped up, the heat pressing around her like a blanket as her irritation level surged.

"Drop it," she growled, zipping the bag up with a sharp ferocity.

"Trouble in lover's canyon?" came an amused voice from the doorway. Lisanna walked in, white hair unkempt, dark circles under her blue eyes. She sat at the end of Mirajane's bed, and regarded her big sister coolly. "I heard you were going on a mission."

"I am," Mirajane said, but gave no further details. It was a well-known fact among them that Lisanna was no longer allowed to hear any inside details about the rebellion—in case it might trigger her darker side. Her younger sister was much like she was, but still seemed cold. There had to be _something_ that she and Sting weren't telling them. Something that was tearing Lisanna apart inside.

….

Wendy climbed through the trees, trying to ignore the branches that whipped back against her arms and caught in her hair. Maybe she should cut her hair like Erza-san did, but something about it made her feel more like herself.

She may have pretended to everyone to be completely okay with her appearance change, but inside she wasn't. She was still a thirteen year old in a bigger girl's body, and she felt out of sorts with all the things she was going through. How could she fight a rebellion when she didn't even know who she was herself?

Not that anyone knew who they were anymore, not after the memory spell was cast. They were all confused people, stumbling through the dark.

The light from the academy's courtyard finally meets her eyes, and she lightly pushes aside a branch to peer out onto the grassy space. Romeo was standing several feet away, his hand entwined with a pretty blonde girl's. He was laughing at something she had said, and she marveled at how deep his voice was now.

After the battle at the academy, the Duchess had cast yet another memory spell. Anyone left behind at the school forgot the battle had ever happened, and that included Romeo. It wasn't just that he forgot the battle though; he forgot that his age had been sped up too. Romeo wasn't taken with them to be killed, and a gut feeling in Wendy's stomach wished he had been.

He had forgotten her.

…

"Erza?" a timid knock came at the door, and Erza whipped around, brown eyes flashing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Ur Milkovich stepped in, her eyes regarding the scarlet haired mage cautiously. "I just wanted to see if you needed any help."

"I am fine, thank you," Erza replied curtly, "Mira is packing most of the essentials."

Gray's former master seemed to have heard something about Gray and Erza being _together _before his death, and wanted to hear everything about the ice mage. After several rude turn downs of being friends, the woman had retreated, treating Erza almost like a rebellious teenage daughter.

Erza didn't care. Quite honestly, in her opinion, there were other people she could ask about Gray. She didn't need to ask Erza. She probably just wanted to get on good cohorts with the leader of the rebellion.

"Listen Erza—you and Mirajane are going in with no back-up, do you really think this is wise?"

"It is."

The Duchess and her weapons had been hunting them down for far to long. If they could take down this weapon manufacturing plant, everything would be so much simpler. It would greatly increase their chances of winning.

_"Be nice. That was practically my Mom you know," _Gray warned from the doorway.

"Look," Erza began, "I'm sorry, but I really should be going—"

"Is this something Gray would have wanted?" the older woman questioned, a sad look in her eyes.

"You didn't know him," Erza bit out, "Not really. He was eight years old when you got yourself turned into a giant hunk of ice—and a lot has changed. He would have told me to take this risk."

_"Liar liar pants on fire," _Gray chanted from the doorway as she stalked out.

…

Gray was shoved brutally from behind, his whole body smacking against the ground before he could react enough to stop his fall. It was true that his reflexes had been slower since he was injured two years ago, not up to speed.

Not that injured would be the correct term for what happened to him. He was pretty sure he had been past injured and more on the path towards dying, and yet here he was, being treated like the world's worst criminal, torture and all.

The last thing he remembered before this place was touching Erza's face, rubbing bloody circles into her pale skin. He had felt a sort of deep peace then, the sort of peace you only get when you're about to die. Then he had shut his eyes and prepared for the dark.

The next thing he had been aware of, he was shooting straight up in this hospital bed, his body twisting back and forth, blood pouring down his chest. _"Sedate him!" _someone had screamed, and he had been aware of a pain, a blinding pain that never seemed to end. When he woke up again, he was in a prison cell.

Not that he minded the cell that much though.

"Did they hurt Gray-sama this time?" Juvia whispered to him through the darkness, and he could just see her blue eyes. He shoved himself into a sitting position, wincing when the skin over his chest stretched. The scar was tight there, almost like bed sheets that have been pulled to tight.

"Not to badly," he said, and Juvia looked slightly relieved. "How is he?" he asked next, and pushed himself towards the left. Juvia shook her head sadly.

"He's much the same," she said, "he still hasn't said anything." Gray's eyes flickered to the small huddled shape in the corner. This cell was reserved for the Fairy Tail members who had been captured, and he had to say he was quite relieved that the only people in there were himself, Juvia and-

The figure in the corner lifted his head; his sunken eyes met Gray's. The Ice Mage shivered, but didn't break eye contact. He didn't know what they had done to him in here, but he was changed.

"Don't worry Master," Gray said in the most soothing voice he could manage, "I'm sure Erza will bust us out in no time."

..


	3. Light 'em Up

_a/n: life is just busy and overwhelming. _

_…_

_My song knows what you did in the dark_

_So light 'em up _

…

Sting sank into the cheap upholstered seat, staring down at his slightly scarred hands. He raised one to brush the blonde strands from his face, and used the other to pick up the menu and flip through it absentmindedly.

"Oh c'mon now," came a sweet flirty voice from above him. He looked up, and saw Yukino's silver hair and kind brown eyes. She was wearing a purple dress today, he noted, a yellow apron tied around her waist. "You've memorized everything on that menu already."

"You got me."

"So what is it for today?" she took out a pad of paper from her apron and held her pen over it, prepared to scrawl out his orders.

"I'll get the chicken wrap and a slice of apple pie," he said automatically and she smiled one of her blinding smiles.

"I'll get it out to you as soon as possible!" she said happily, skipping over to the counter to hand his order in. Sting's eyes flickered over the chef—_Minerva _of all people—before coming to rest on another waiter who had just come out of the kitchen.

Black hair pulled into a ponytail, one side expertly covering half on his face, small black eyes, a pouty frown. The face of his best friend, a best friend who no longer—

"Can I help you sir?" Rogue asked him in complete boredom, tapping a hand against the edge of his paper.

"Actually—"

"He's my customer Rogue," Yukino interrupted, marching over with his plate. She set it in front of him, and gave him another smile. She patted Rogue kindly on the shoulder, and Sting watched as his two best friends walked away.

He was left alone with his pie.

…

"We'll start tomorrow," Mirajane decided, sinking down to sit against the ground. Erza glanced down at her companion, a small frown gracing her lips. They had reached the destination after only a day of traveling; it seemed wasteful to let those precious hours of nighttime go. She couldn't find it in her to argue with her though. She seemed to be always tired, always in a stage between waking and sleeping. A couple hours of rest couldn't hurt.

"Fine," she said, and sank down beside the slightly older girl.

"How are you?"

"_How am I?_"

"It's a valid question Erza."

"How am I supposed to be?" Erza asked her instead, leaning back onto her elbows. "Our whole world is falling apart at the seams, Gray is dead, but no Mirajane, I'm _just dandy." _

Mirajane merely sighed, and Erza couldn't tell what the other girl was thinking. It had been a long two years, and Mirajane had been the only person to actually talk to her. She really shouldn't be rude.

"I'm sorry," Erza said quickly, "I'll jump back to being myself when this whole thing is over."

"Can you really find that person again?" Mirajane asked, her blue eyes hardening, "Can you really be her without Gray?"

"Gray was my friend," Erza said, even though she didn't know why. "He wasn't the reason for my whole existence.

"You changed when he died."

"Were just friends Mira."

"You were never just friends," Mirajane said softly, "Erza haven't you ever thought that maybe the next step to moving on is accepting your feelings for Gray?"

"Does it really matter? He's _dead_ Mira. Even if I was in some life, in love with him, it doesn't matter anymore. Not until this war is over anyways. Once we end this, everything will be better. Then I'll answer your stupid questions."

_"Oh c'mon Erza," _Gray said, and he was standing right in front of her, her head leveled with his knees. He peered down at her with those dark blue eyes, and a drop of blood rolled down his shirt and splattered on the top of her head. _"You know that you love me. Admit it." _

_ "No!" _Erza cried, surprising herself. Mirajane looked startled, and Erza avoided her eyes as she sunk back down against the Earth. "Leave me alone," she whispered to herself then, and turned her face away so Mirajane couldn't see her expression. There were a couple moments of silence before-

"I changed my mind," Mira said, standing up to peer out at something Erza couldn't see. "We need to act _now_."

"What is it?" Erza asked, moving forward to peer at whatever Mira was looking at.

"They're already evacuating the building," Mirajane said, and then laughed. "I can hear what the guards are saying. It's a _fire drill_."

"A fire drill? Really?"

"Seems a bit to convenient huh?" Mirajane asked, but she was still smiling. "Even if it is a trap, I think we can take them if we're working together."

Erza had never quite gotten used to the way Mirajane changed into her _other _form. It was like the warmth in the area around her was being sucked inside, leaving everything cold and bitter. It was almost like her reequip, at least in the way that the black flashes of light wound around her body, creating something new. Creating something deadly.

Erza rolled back her neck and changed into her fastest armor. If this was going to work, and they were already outside of their original plan, she was going to have to be _fast_.

"You ready?" Mira asked through black lips.

"Whenever you are."

She knew they should be discrete, but as soon as everyone started to evacuate that was thrown out the window. They would have to improvise from this moment onward. Not that Erza minded too much. The plan they had come up with at headquarters had as many holes in it as Swiss cheese, and besides—

_"It reminded you of me," _Gray supplied helpfully for her. "_Didn't it?"_

"Three,"

She could see the evacuation sight, far far away from the building.

Mirajane and Erza burst out of the trees, Erza's sword drawn and Mirajane with her fist raised, prepared to blow this all to hell if needed.

The people evacuating the building noticed them immediately, and Erza could hear their shouts and screams as the two girls bolted towards the entrance. The building was like any other factory building, ugly and grey with a couple of disproportionate chimneys sticking out the top.

Luckily, the evacuation point was at least a mile away. It would take them a _lot_ longer to get here if they wanted to stop them. Erza and Mirajane would have the building blown up by then, and there would be no weapons to save. Of course, if the maps of the layout Natsu had provided for them were accurate.

With Natsu that could potentially pose a problem.

Erza and Mirajane burst through the factory doors at once, and Erza picked up the speed, feeling her armor heat up as she sprinted faster and faster. Mirajane split off from her about midway down the hall and careened to the left, taking her to another side of the building. Another side to blow up.

Her legs were starting to burn even with the armor, but Erza knew she had to get to the back of the building soon. The back of the building was where the giant fans to help cool things down were, and that was what they needed to blow up if they wanted _everything_ to be destroyed.

She finally found the fan.

She made sure the room was evacuated first, she knew for a fact that not everyone could run or fly as fast as she and Mira could.

There were no people, but she did find something _peculiar_. A giant timer, counting down seconds as she watched it in blinking red numbers. She stepped forward warily, the time on the clock was long, it seemed to be days possibly—_months_. She reequipped a pen and scrawled the number on her arm. As soon as she managed to jot down the last few seconds (as accurately as she could) the whole floor shook, and a wave of heat blew over Erza's face.

_Mirajane blew up hers. _Restoring the pen, she whipped out her grenade, something Laxus had come up with. They called it grenade, but in reality it was much more powerful then that.

Erza moved over and pulled down on the lever that read _On_, and yanked it down. The fan came to life with a great creaking grown, and Erza was nearly blown over backwards as the massive wave of air sputtered free.

She uncorked the grenade and tossed it right into the fan.

It took a moment, but it was that moment that Erza took to run. She turned, sprinting faster than she had ever run before. She could feel her magic power draining faster than water through a drain as she used her armor to its full capacity. She was running faster than the flames bellowing out from behind her, and it was only seconds before she was running through the front doors, and flames were expanding out behind her, tearing the sky and factory apart from behind her.

…

"Today, you'll be going through some training," the Duchess said, and Gray smirked at her from in-between the two guards that were tightly gripping his arms.

"What, fresh out of torture attempts?" he asked. She flinched back from his attitude, like it was going to poison her or something.

"I don't torture you."

"And my middle name is Steve."

The Duchess's hand whipped out and cracked across his face, a look of blind rage distorting her features.

"Ma'am!" someone shouted, a guard, careening around the corner to stop and look at them. He was out of breath and panting, his face stained with…soot? "Ma'am, Weapon manufacturing was blown to pieces this morning."

"Someone blew up all our weapons?!"

"Yes," the guard said, shrinking back as if scared of her wrath.

"Who did this?"

"We got these pictures," he shoved forth a few slippery sheets of paper.

Gray at once recognized Erza and Mirajane bursting out of a copse of trees. Mirajane looked more or less the same, but his eyes were automatically drawn to Erza's form.

She had cut her hair, he noticed, it fell to her chin now. Her mouth was open in a defiant yell, and something about her looked _wild_. Her brown eyes were hardened, furious. It was his Erza.

While the Duchess was busy yelling at her guard, he let a big shit eating grin spread across his face.

_That was his Erza. _


	4. Confusing Love Affairs

a/n: just warning you, this chapter definitely flirts with the T rating. Also, I don't know when this is going to end, but the second part won't be to long. I'm just trying to tie all of the plot points together and then voila, it's done. So please let me know if there is anything you're still confused about.

Sorry for the late update. I kinda am working on an original story and I'm suddenly obsessed with Veronica Mars. (If you've seen it, I have two words for you: Logan Echolls.) So here it is!

"So the mission was completed successfully?" Laxus asked from behind her, and Mirajane paused in her unpacking. Her fingers hesitated warily on her zipper, toying with the plastic end as she contemplated telling Laxus to go away.

"You could've asked Erza," she said softly, dumping the rest of her possessions on the bed and yanking the zipper shut.

"I didn't want to ask _Erza_," he growled, and she could feel that he was close. His breath was tickling the back of her neck. Mirajane turned around, but soon found that was a mistake. Laxus was millimeters from her face, their noses brushing.

"Laxus—"

It was to late. With a sort of groan of protest, he swept down and linked their mouths together. His mouth was firm and sweet, and she couldn't help but pull him closer, running her fingers through his coarse blonde hair. He wasn't anything like the boy's she'd slept with in the past; he was an addiction, a fire that ran through her veins like poison. He was _Laxus_.

"You really need to stop doing that," she whispered, gasping as their mouths parted to eagerly gasp for air. He smirked.

"Would you really want that?" he asked her cockily, and she let out a sigh of resignation, and then moved to kick the door to her quarters shut.

"You know I wouldn't."

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Natsu was trying to dodge Lucy. His new mission hadn't taken as long as he had hoped, and he was back _two days_ early. Not to mention the sun was setting, so it meant that Mirajane and Erza wouldn't be sending him on anymore more missions until tomorrow. Which gave Lucy plenty of time to find him, and he really didn't want to be found.

He had luckily found the perfect place, where he was almost sure no one would ever come looking for him.

The place where they had burned Gray was always abandoned. It was almost like his gravesite; even though his body was probably cremated and thrown in a ditch somewhere, curtsey of the Duchess. It was so beautiful up here (even _Natsu_ could admit that) and it was the perfect place for avoiding—

"Natsu?" her voice sounded out from behind him, quiet and distinctly femine. Some part of him ached at the sound of that voice and he had to clench his fists tightly to stop himself from pulling her into his arms.

"Hey Luce," he said, trying to be as upbeat as possible.

"Really?" he felt the heel of her boot sink into his back with a dull pain. Lucy had always been…physical. Regretting his choice of words, he keeps his eyes on the beautiful sight in front of him. "Two years without you barely saying a _word_ to me and all I get is 'hey'?!"

"What do you mean?" _that's right, play dumb._

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Look Luce," he said, his anger overtaking his senses for a moment as he stood up and whirled around to look at her. "I really don't understand what you're trying to say. Do we have some sort of contract that requires me to talk you at every available opportunity?"

He immediately regrets what he's said when her brown eyes fill with tears. _Not everyone turns hard, _he reminded himself, and instead let out a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his hair.

"No, I suppose you don't," she said bitterly, "Silly me."

"What do you want me to say Luce?" he asked her, his voice cracking. Damn it all. Maybe these two years had made him into a softie too.

"I don't _know_ Natsu," she cried, and a few tears slipped free from her eyes and ran tracks down her cheeks. "Can't you see that?!"

"No I actually don't see that, because it seemed like you had it all figured out two years ago."

She looked confused then, a crinkle appearing between her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You said we were just going to be _friends_, don't you remember?" he throws her original words back at her like their poison, and they are to him. He decided that on his last mission.

"Isn't that what you want?" she asked, and she still looks confused like she's just not getting it.

"Isn't that what _you_ want?" he repeated back at her, and sank to a sitting position once more.

"Do you mean you want something different?" Lucy asked, moving to sit beside him.

"Well duh weirdo," he said, but there was little amusement in his tone. This wasn't a conversation he had ever planned on having. He didn't know how long he expected to avoid Lucy, but he didn't think they'd get to these questions so fast.

"I didn't think—" Lucy sounded lost, and she sat down next to him. She still smelled the same, he noted dully in the back of his mind, like something sweet and dangerous all at the same time. He had never really thought of her as dangerous, until she broke his heart. _"We're just friends, right Natsu?" _

"You know Lucy, for someone who thinks all the time, you don't really see the signs do you?" Natsu said bitterly.

"The signs of what?"

He didn't answer her with words, but instead turned towards her and kissed her.

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_"You know Erza, I'm kind of hurt," _Gray said from behind her, as she rearranged the reports on her desk. _"You keep denying that you're in love with me." _

"That's because I'm _not_," Erza said, shaking her head. "And besides, you don't have feelings. You're dead."

"Are you so sure about that?"

She whirled around, but for once her apparition was missing. He wasn't anywhere in the room, and she could feel her resolve breaking down. Moving quickly to the door she locked it tightly, and then before she could even make it back to her chair she leaned against the door, sinking to the floor, and held her head in her hands.

_"You know, I've liked you for a while," he whispered to her, the river sloshing around their ankles. His breath tickled her face, as he leaned in._

_ "Me too," she laughed, "I never thought—but I really like you Gray." _

_ "It's almost like we were always meant to fall together," Gray whispered, "Like I've known you for years instead of months." _

"Please come back," Erza whispered to the empty room.

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Wendy was used to going on missions by herself. No one really seemed to like looking at her very long, the freaky girl who was suddenly so much older. She didn't blame them, she had a hard time looking at herself.

It wasn't every day that you woke up, suddenly years older with no real way to control her body. Of course, when everything is bigger it proves difficult. She picked at her shirt as she clutched the tree branch closer for support. She was high up, monitoring a suspicious Duchess base in the woods. They were supposed to be transferring someone here today, or at least according to Natsu's latest report.

So far, no one had shown up. Wendy was just about to call it a day and head back, when she heard it. Rumbling along the road, the sound of tires squealing against the dirt.

Using her wind magic as leverage, she floated a couple inches down off the tree branch, only the air supporting her.

The carriages came careening into view, stopping in front of the building.

"Get him out!" she heard the Duchess bark. "Maybe when he's not around his friends, he'll be more wiling to cooperate!"

A dark haired figure was dragged out of one of the backs of the trucks, and Wendy gasped.

It was Gray.


	5. Rescue Gone Wrong

I REALLY CAN'T WRITE THIS LATELY IM SORRY. I am trying, but I'm just one of those people who can't focus on things if they are kind of sick of it. And I'm kind of sick of this story, but I know you guys aren't, so I'll finish it. I PROMISE I WILL. Just don't expect me to update quickly. Plus I've been working on this one story that's like absorbed my soul. (IF you have ever even remotely heard of Veronica Mars you should check out my story: Over the Cliffside.)

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_Life's a bitch until you die—Veronica Mars_

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Wendy's mouth fell open. It couldn't be Gray; she had watched him die two years ago. She had tried to save his life while his blood soaked her hands, she couldn't get the red out from underneath her fingernails for _weeks, _even though everyone told her hands were clean. She had still seen it there, like a gruesome film over her fingers. . He couldn't be standing there, being shoved towards the building between several guards. He just couldn't be alive.

Standing here being shocked wouldn't do anything to help though, and she needed to focus her thoughts on how to help him, as opposed to being shocked that he was alive.

They didn't have nearly enough people manning him, she thought, probably because they didn't think anyone even knew he was alive. Well, now there lax security measures were going to cost them. Wendy wasn't going to let him disappear from her sight, because as soon as he did, they could do whatever they wanted to him, torture him, really kill him this time. Erza's heartbroken face flashed before her eyes, and a vice squeezed around Wendy's heart. She was not about to let her friend go through that again.

Using her air magic, she dropped down lightly to the ground, soundless and efficient as she creeped in behind the troops. They don't notice her, they aren't looking for someone who's hoping to rescue Gray, and they're probably more interested in actually _containing_ Gray. The black haired boy is straining against their every move, his muscles bulging and his eyes wide.

Well, almost no one sees her. She watched as Gray's head flicked upwards, his navy eyes locking with her's. She waved at him, and then mimed being quiet. She needed to think of an appropriate plan. Gray nodded, and Wendy crept back into the shadows. That was part one, get Gray on her side. She couldn't have him acting shocked with the rest if she was going to rescue him.

It seemed like they were walking the last mile to the compound, although Wendy couldn't really imagine _why_. She could probably count on Gray to fight—maybe. She would have to improvise. She didn't know what they had done to him in the last few years.

Of course, she had been doing training with Natsu, and the other members of the rebellion. She was not the small wimpy girl she had been two years again. She was a_ machine_ of magic power. Creeping forward, she opened her lips a fraction apart and blew.

Of course, when a sky dragon slayer 'blows' it's more like a mini tornado. The wind escaped her mouth, targeting all the guards around Gray and knocking them off their feet. Their bodies slam against the ground and Wendy moved her hands in a slamming motion, forcing the air around them to pin the guards to the ground.

"Come with me!" Wendy cried, the Duchess was the only one struggling under her magic power, slowly starting to become upright. "Quickly!" Wendy hadn't noticed her before, but of course that woman just _had_ to be here.

"Wendy?" Gray asked in disbelief, and Wendy rolled her eyes. She knew Gray had died before he could really fully see that she was older now, but she didn't expect him to dwell on it when they were so short on time.

"I'll explain later. Just come with me _now_," she said, as The Duchess slowly got to her knees.

Gray didn't need to be told twice. He quickly skirted around her body and made a beeline for Wendy.

As soon as he got close, Wendy grabbed his hand and used her air magic to levitate them back up to the trees, setting them down on a thick branch just out of sight.

"YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ME THAT EASY!" she heard the Duchess scream as Wendy released the spell and, Gray following her, they leapt across the tree branches.

"Looks like we just did," Gray muttered, and Wendy laughed.

"I was able to get pass the guards lining the forest before, but now they'll be on high alert. We're going to need back up, so I'm going to put up a signal for the others."

"What others?" Gray asked eagerly, "There's more people that remember?"

"Oh just ask about her," Wendy said, smiling. "I know you want to."

"Ask about who?"

"Erza."

He blushed, which was saying something because Gray _never_ blushed. "I don't know," He said nervously, "I mean—is she okay?"

Wendy frowned. "Define okay."

"Is she physically safe?"

"Yes."

Before their conversation could go any further, something went wrong in the air around them. Wendy could feel it as the temperature dropped and the almost solidified, making it so Wendy couldn't manipulate it. Her hand quickly dropped to her belt, and she flashed the sign at the sky, where someone from the rebellion would see it and hopefully help.

"Someone—" she began, but all the sudden the tree branches below their feet gave way, sending them tumbling towards the ground.

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"Mirajane?" there's a knocking at the door and Mirajane panicked.

"Hide," she hissed to Laxus, who merely pulled the bedspread over his head and tried to blend in. Mirajane sighed, pulling on a T-shirt and sweats and hoped that whoever was at the door wouldn't notice the giant blob on her bed.

"Hey Lisanna," Mirajane said, leaning in the doorway, blocking most of the room from view.

"Erza wants you in the council room. You too Laxus!" Lisanna called, and the bundle on Mira's bed shifted, groaning. Mirajane felt her cheeks go hot.

"What's happened?" she asked instead, trying not to speculate that Lisanna _knows_.

"Someone sent up their rescue flair. We think it was Wendy."

"I'll be right there."

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"We need to send in a team right now," Erza said, pacing at the front of the room. "This is potentially dangerous."

"But what if it's a trap?" Sting suggested, leaning forward. "It's a possibility."

"Of course it's probably a trap," Lucy said, "But the fact is, it's _Wendy_."

"If you don't go after her," Natsu added, "I will. Alone."

"We _are_ going to go after her!" Erza shouted over the growing din in the council room. "But it's going to have to be a volunteer trip only."

Mirajane raised her hand at once, standing up. "I'll go."

"I will as well," Erza added, and Natsu, Lucy, and Laxus all stood up as well. No one else stood up, the thought of it being a trap scaring them to bits. Of course, most of them were from other guilds, they didn't _understand_ that Fairy Tail was in these situations every other week.

They were going to rescue Wendy before the Duchess could get to her like she got to Gray.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm really sorry, as you can probably tell, i've been having a really hard time writing this story. I am not quitting, nor giving up, but it will still be a couple days (I'm hoping to finish a rough draft of the chapter tomorrow) and so I've decided to give you guys a preview just as a 'I'm sorry' because I suck at updating this story.

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Her favorite part about her magic was the almost unlimited abilities it gave her body. It could make her fast, strong, fire-proof – practically anything she _wanted_ it to. It was best at going fast though, and that was evident as she put all of her power into making her legs move faster. The other's were holding back the guards, fighting their hardest.

Erza would quite honestly rather be fighting, it's much more her specialty, but sometimes things didn't go like she wanted them to. Mirajane was the only one who could possibly hope to be as fast, and she was much for adept for destroying things. Besides, Erza had always felt a sort of connection with Wendy – even if the other girl didn't seem to be very comfortable in her own skin anymore.

This though, what Erza was doing now, was hard. The trees of the forest where the Duchess had captured Wendy were close together, and roots lay just under the surface of the dirt – waiting to trip her. At this speed, tripping would probably falling to her death. Or breaking a couple ribs at the least.

Before Wendy had been captured, she had been observing this forest for weeks. They had all suspected the Duchess of performing illegal acts in this forest for months, and Wendy had been on the brink of discovering something new, she had said as much last time they talked.

_What had Wendy discovered?_


	7. Ice Make

a/n: I have two words for you : **_CODE BLUE_**.

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"Is this where the signal flare was sent up?" Erza asked carefully, her eyes scanning over the expansive forest.

"Yes," Mirajane said, her tongue sticking slightly through her teeth as she also observed the area.

"Well let's go!" Natsu said, perhaps a bit to loudly, his hands clapping together. "I'm all fired up!"

"Natsu shut _up_," Erza hissed, "Wendy's obviously in trouble – and you giving away our location won't help anything."

Natsu has the decency to look ashamed, and Erza pretended not to notice when Lucy took his hand in comfort.

_"They're in love," _Gray gloated from behind her in his ghostly voice, _"Just like you and I were."_

"We should get moving soon," Erza said abruptly, cutting off whatever else her local apparition had to say. Mirajane is looking at her curiously, her blue eyes concerned, but Erza waves her off.

"How are we going to do this?" Lucy asked.

"We're going to storm the trees," Erza said, "Going in stealthily is going to just get us caught as well."

"Sounds good," Natsu seemed please with the idea that they weren't going to try and sneak in; he always had been more the one for bursting into places with a bang and beating people up.

"This is it," she said, and stood up, facing the forest with a gleam in her eye. "If we get captured, we're done for. Whatever you do – _don't_ let yourself get taken. You got that?"

The group looks up at her with encouraging smiles and wide eyes; they really do believe they can do this. Erza felt like they were going to fail, because if someone really wanted them to defeat the Duchess, they wouldn't have killed Gray. They wouldn't have captured Wendy.

Instead of voicing her concerns to her companions, she instead lifted her hand and reequipped into her speed armor. She would need to be the one to quickly grab Wendy and then get the hell out of there. She was the fastest, except for Mirajane, and they would need her for offense.

"I'll take up the rear," Erza said, "And don't hit me when I run past you to get Wendy."

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Her favorite part about her magic was the almost unlimited abilities it gave her body. It could make her fast, strong, fire-proof – practically anything she _wanted_ it to. It was best at going fast though, and that was evident as she put all of her power into making her legs move faster. The other's were holding back the guards, fighting their hardest.

Erza would quite honestly rather be fighting, it's much more her specialty, but sometimes things didn't go like she wanted them to. Mirajane was the only one who could possibly hope to be as fast, and she was much for adept for destroying things. Besides, Erza had always felt a sort of connection with Wendy – even if the other girl didn't seem to be very comfortable in her own skin anymore.

This though, what Erza was doing now, was hard. The trees of the forest where the Duchess had captured Wendy were close together, and roots lay just under the surface of the dirt – waiting to trip her. At this speed, tripping would probably falling to her death. Or breaking a couple ribs at the least.

Before Wendy had been captured, she had been observing this forest for weeks. They had all suspected the Duchess of performing illegal acts in this forest for months, and Wendy had been on the brink of discovering something new, she had said as much last time they talked.

_What had Wendy discovered?_

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"I sent up a signal flare," Wendy hissed into Gray's ear as the guards surround them, swords flashing. "Someone should be on their way to rescue us."

They stood back to back, and he realized how much taller she really was now. What had happened to her? The last time he had seen her she was still twelve, her eyes big and her body small, and now she was standing in front of him – obviously a _woman_.

It had been two years since he had 'died', but that didn't explain the _years_ older she looked now. He rather wished it did, because it made it hard to focus on anything else.

"Oh, it's you," the Duchess has a voice of ice as she stepped out of the trees, twigs caught in her hair, her dress muddy. "I should have known that my little experiment with age magic would cost me."

Gray looked sideways at Wendy – experiment with _magic_? What did that mean? The blunette looked sad almost, but it was soon replaced with a steely determination.

"Go to hell," Wendy spat.

The Duchess whipped out a hand and smacked Wendy across the face, sending the girl wheeling backwards. Gray moved forward at once, his hand outstretched to clasp around her wrist to prevent her from causing anymore damage.

"My lady!" a frantic guard came bursting through the trees, "A woman in a leopard suit is taking down our ranks!"

Gray's memory of that particular armor was very vivid indeed. He could still remember the pulsing venom through Erza's arm as she threatened to cut it off to save her life, and could remember stopping Lyon. Lifetimes ago.

"Can you use your magic?" Wendy muttered under her breath, backing up so her back was against his.

"Maybe" he whispered back, "Something about it feels blocked – but I might be able to get it free."

"We just need to buy some time for Erza to reach us," she said.

"Yeah." He tried not to show how much the idea sparked at his mind. All this time he'd been waiting to see her again, and now it was right in front of him, ready for him to grasp it in-between his fingers.

"Don't think I can't hear you," the Duchess snarled, and with a flick of her fingers, she sent them both crashing into a tree. "Like you're going to escape me that easily."

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Erza arrived at the center of the forest in a screeching halt, a puff of dirt rising around her with her advanced stop. She's reached the area she wanted to be in – but it's not what she was expecting.

A line of soldiers in a circle around two bodies on the ground is standing in front of her, and at the back is the Duchess herself, a lot more than Erza was expecting to handle on her own. Still, when opportunities came –

A fury, red hot and taught as a wire filled Erza to the brim, and before she could even realize anything, she was lunging towards the Duchess with a sword in her hand and Gray's fallen body in her mind.

The Duchess was just as prepared however, she raised a hand as well and a cluster of darkness circled around it, aimed directly for Erza's heart, and in that moment she knew she was going to lose. How could she win?

"ICE MAKE SHIELD."


	8. Who Are You?

a/n: I hope this chapter satisfies your GrayZa needs.;)

Random question of the chapter: HAS ANYONE SEEN AGENTS OF SHIELD?!

(AND I SUCK AT UPDATING. I KNOW.)

But school is out, and I promise I'll work on this every day.

Also, this is short. I AM SO SORRY. Next chapter will be longer. Probably. And it will be within the next week, I am promising you now. I WILL GET BACK TO A REGULAR UPDATE UNTIL I FINISH THIS DAMN THING.

"ICE MAKE SHIELD!" a voice roared, a voice she never thought she'd ever hear again. A voice that had been familiar to her since she was ten years old, a voice that spoke of years and love - one that was very much alive, not some vague hallucination she'd dreamed up.

She couldn't move. She heard Wendy speak from behind her, a gasp of his name – but she couldn't shift an inch. There was a battle raging around them, people screaming, but her feet were firmly rooted to the ground like they were frozen.

Her eyes widened, her heart started to beat erratically in her chest, and her body started to shake. These weren't normal emotions for Erza, and she wasn't sure how to deal with them. She wasn't sure if she wanted to turn around, scared of what was going to happen if she did. Maybe this was just another hallucination.

She could see it though, could see the cold ice spiraling up in front of her, inches from her nose. She could feel the cold air touching her skin, could see the blue sheen. It was really _here_.

She found herself slowly turning around, not daring to believe in the reality. The ice was surrounding her now, forming a sort of protective dome around the three Fairy Tail members, and standing in the center was _Gray_.

"What?" she breathed, "Wendy –" she looked to the other girl for confirmation, "Wendy can you see him too?"

Wendy nodded, her brown eyes wide. "What do you mean-"

"Hi Erza," Gray said, cutting her off. Her mouth opened and closed like she was some gigantic fish, she was totally and utterly lost for words.

"How –" she finally managed to stutter out.

"I'll tell you later," he promised, his navy eyes flickering over her, "But right now, we need to get out of here."

Right. They were technically still in the middle of a battle. Even if his ice dome had managed to protect them thus far, she doesn't think it will hold against the Duchess's onslaught much longer.

"Take my hand," she said, stretching out her arm to both of them. Gray looked at her fingers for a moment – hesitating. She pretended it didn't hurt as he finally takes them.

His grip is warm – he's real. The thought rocked her back on her heels, and she barely noticed when Wendy took her hand as well. He was real. Gray Fullbuster was really _here_.

"What's your plan?" Wendy asked, bringing Erza thumping back to Earth.

"I'm going to run as fast as I can, Gray," her lips stumble over the name, because she has no idea what's happening_. Focus on one objective at a time Scarlet_ she told herself sternly. "Can you keep a shield up behind us?"

"I'll try," Gray frowned, and something stirred inside Erza's gut at the familiar gesture.

"Okay are you ready?" Erza asked, trying to focus. She would have time to talk later, right now – there was much more pressing matters.

"Yeah, I think so," Gray frowned, and she just watched his face for a moment, the curve of his eyebrows, the stubborn line of his mouth – the one person she thought she would never see alive again. "My magic is a bit rusty."

"Just do the best you can," Wendy said, "I'll try to cover you as well."

Erza nodded. "Drop the shield, now."

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Their plan worked surprisingly well. Wendy and Gray were able to manage to cover their back, and while the ride was bumpy, they managed to make it to the front of the forest where Natsu and Lucy were holding up camp.

"Did you –" Lucy's voice abruptly broke off when she saw the extra person Erza had with her, her brown eyes widening.

"I don't know, and we don't have time to explain!" Erza said hurriedly, before she could ask any questions. "I need to get them back to base. Can you send up a retreat flare and meet me back there?"

Lucy nodded, the curiosity fading from her eyes, replaced with something as hard as steel.

"Of course."

"What –" Gray began, and just then an idea occurred to Erza, a very dangerous idea that she needed to attend to immediately.

"We're leaving," she told him, turning her voice into something like steel, her grip tightening. "Wendy, can you help them fight?"

Wendy nodded, yanking her arm free and standing up straight, her brown eyes sparking as she raised her hands, wind whipping around her.

"Go!"

Then Erza lurched off, Gray held tightly in her grip.

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The moment she arrived at base, she didn't wait around for anyone to come and greet her –she didn't wait for backup or anything – she just made a beeline for the nearest containment facility they had.

"Erza – what –" Gray began, but she jerked him after her with a more viscous fervor, her fingernails digging into his arm.

"Don't speak," she spat, and as soon as they reached the containment facility, she hurled him inside one of the cells and locked the door.

"What the hell?" Gray demanded, his voice angry, his navy eyes fixed on her's.

"Now," Erza crossed her arms over her chest, "Why don't you tell me who you are?"


	9. Monster

a/n: OKAY SO THIS ISN'T SUPER LONG, BUT HEY TWO UPDATES IN THE SAME DAY THAT COUNTS FOR SOMETHING RIGHT?!

I've changed my mind. This story is going to be long people. Hang on tightly folks, because you have some feels coming your way.

_"But we know about the darkness that lies inside her. Maybe you two could be monsters together." _

_ -Raina, (Agents of SHIELD.) _

Gray automatically looks confused. "What do you mean, _who am I_?"

"Gray Fullbuster is dead," Erza said in a shaky voice, "I watched him die. I held him in my arms as he died – and whoever you are – you _can't_ be him."

"I –" Gray hesitated, she could see it, "But I didn't die."

"Don't lie to me," she spat, "This must be some cruel joke of the Duchess's, or maybe _you're_ her weapon."

"You think I would ever betray my guild like that?" he said in surprise, and she can see the hurt in his eyes, like he was actually _human_. He wasn't though – he couldn't possibly be.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," Erza said, "You're here to kill us all."

Gray stepped closer, his navy eyes widening. "Erza – _no_. It's me! The Duchess brought me back, I wasn't all the way dead-"

Erza turned her back. "I'll have Wendy look over you when she comes back, and we'll see what you have to say then."

"I'll be saying the same time that I am now!" Gray shouted, and it sounded so much like him that her knees wobbled. Damn it all – she was meant to be _stronger_ than this.

"We'll see," she said, shutting the door tightly behind her.

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_"That was cruel you know," _The phantom said behind her. _"I thought you were better than that Erza." _

She slammed her hand down on the wall outside the prison cell, and to her utter embarrassment, tears began streaming out of her good eye.

"Can't you just shut the hell up?" she spat.

_"You're afraid," _The phantom said, circling closer, his inky hair almost brushing her head, _"You're afraid that he's not real, that he's just here to trick you into loving him and then leave again."_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Erza muttered, turning around, wiping the tears from her eyes abruptly.

"Erza!" it's Lucy, sprinting down the hallway to meet her. "Retreat was successful."

"Good."

"Have you been crying?"

"Of course not," Erza said abruptly, "The wind from fighting irritated my eyes."

Lucy looked suspicious, but she didn't say anything. The blonde seemed at a loss for what to say, and Erza just then realized how far she had drifted from her personal relationships.

"Could you bring me Wendy? She needs to examine it," she gestured towards the room.

"About that," Lucy said, frowning slightly. "Why did you lock him up?"

"He might not be – might not be Gray," despite her every wish, her voice stumbled. Lucy's eyes widened, and part of her was surprised the other girl hadn't thought of it. "We need Wendy to double check."

"I see," Lucy nodded; there was something different about her now – she followed orders without protest. That wouldn't have normally happened. If it were the old days, if they were the old Fairy Tail, Lucy would have spoken up.

_They were all different_.

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"Don't you understand?" Lisanna asked from the doorway, and Sting whirled around in surprise.

"Understand what?" he asked, instantly on edge. Lisanna had lost control last time she was in charge, and he had practically let her.

"What's happening here?" the white haired girl was looking at him with extremely sad blue eyes. He had always noticed that about her, the eyes that looked like they were drowning in a million billion ruined lives.

"What are you talking about?"

"We're turning on each other," she spoke softly, her voice like velvet. "Erza just locked Gray into a containment cell."

"Gray? But Gray is –"

"Dead," Lisanna finished, "But we never had his real body."

"And why are you coming to me with this?" Sting asked, knowing she had an angle. The last Lisanna, the one before the attack, was innocent. She would never have considered manipulating another person, that much was clear just from the brief glimpse he had gotten from her at the Grand Magic Games. He supposed that this Lisanna, the cold hard one who _always_ had an angle, had just been lying dormant. Waiting to come out.

"I think we should start working together again."

"Like hell," Sting said, the last time hadn't ended so well.

"I heard Erza talking to _herself_," Lisanna said, stepping closer. She smelled like roses. "And Mirajane is sleeping with Laxus."

"What does –"

"It comprises her. And Erza is obviously losing it, Gray being her, or whatever he is, is not going to help that. Surely even you can see that."

"I don't know if you have a memory problem or something," he said, taking two steps backwards. "But you weren't so good in power either."

"I'm better now," Lisanna protested.

Sting shook his head, "I can't –"

"You have to."

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"There is one common thread between all of these events," Lucy decided at the council later that evening. Wendy was just now tending to Gray.

"And what's that?"

"Gray," the blonde finished. "The Duchess knew he would jump in front of Erza –she knew that he would die. She sent Gray to that school, she did all these complicated things to get ahold of Gray – but _why_?"

"Not to mention," Mirajane added, "She awakened Erza's powers. She must have known –"

"She can't have," Erza scoffed, "She can't have possibly known –"

"She wanted you dead," Lucy said, fixing her gaze on Erza. "More than anything."

"And why's that?" Erza demanded, her mind was starting to feel like it was constantly spinning in circles. "Why me? Why Gray? We're just talking in circles. The only thing that will get us anywhere is when Wendy's done examining him."

"Hopefully we can just label this as a miracle and set it aside." Mirajane said, rubbing her temples.

"Let us hope."

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Wendy's hands hovered around Gray's head, her face curled in concentration. Gray knew what she would find, and he knew he had to act fast.

"Wendy," he said, just as she found what she was looking for.

She stepped back in horror, her brown eyes going wide. "What _are_ you?"

"I'm Gray," he said, his voice following the same lines he had been rehearsed to do.

"No you're not," she whispered, "You're not. You're a _monster_."

Gray moved faster than Wendy, and his hand was closed around her throat before she could offer any move to defend herself. He locked his eyes on her's. She struggled, tiny gasps of breath escaping between her lips.

She really was older, the small part that was still Gray acknowledged, but the monster that now resided inside him didn't care. He found Wendy's mind, alive and healthy, and prodded at it.

"You will do as I say," he whispered, "You will go to Erza, and tell her that it really is Gray. That it's just a miracle."

Wendy struggled for another moment, but he saw the light in her eyes dim, and knew he had her. She slumped to the floor.

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"Ah, Wendy!" Natsu said in relief as the blunette entered the room. She smiled.

"It's a miracle Erza," she said, "It really is Gray."


	10. Killed

a/n: I'm sorry guys, has been giving me trouble. I've moved updating all of my current stuff (except for this story) to archiveofourown.

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Gray sat alone in a dark room, his head pounding. He couldn't quite recall where, or when he got here, but it was sometime after…sometime after…

Damn. He couldn't remember. He felt like he was slipping away, the memories coming to him brief flashes – it was a miracle he knew his own name. This dark room was draining him, he even felt like his hands were growing paler – like it was sucking the energy out of him.

All he could really feel of himself (all the time at least) was his name and _her_.

He didn't remember her name. He didn't remember who she was, and what she meant to him. He didn't remember how he met her, what she did, why she was important – but she just _was_.

She was the flashes of scarlet, brown eyes, tears, armor, a strong heart. He could also remember other things – kisses and stolen glances. (Were they _romantically_ together?)

All he knew that – wherever and whoever he was, he needed to find his way back to her.

Before it was too late.

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"I'm sorry," Erza said finally, looking at Gray from the doorway. "I was wrong about you, and I should have waited until I knew all the facts before I made assumptions."

Gray flashed her a smile, and it sent tingles down her spine. "It's okay."

"It's good to have you back," she meant it. She had been confused when he was gone, and now that he was here, everything seemed a little bit clearer.

"Yeah, it's good to be back. I missed you Erza," he stepped closer. They had put him in a room close to her's, and as the smell of him filled her nose, she wanted to hug and kiss and slap him and do _other things_ to him.

She stepped forward and hugged him. She wasn't quite sure what influenced her to do so, she wasn't exactly a hugging girl, but she wanted this. She _needed_ this.

"I missed you too," she whispered, burying her nose in his chest. He still smelled the same, like the north and a cold winter breeze. His hand came up to rub the back of her head, and for a moment she thought everything would be okay.

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"Oh ," Yukino said, jotting down something on her notepad. "It's so good to see you again!"

He smiled. "Yeah," he said, "Sorry I couldn't get in earlier, work was a bit crazy."

Yukino tutted, pursing her lips in a sort of playful way.

"Anyways ," she went on, "I have something to ask you."

"And that is?" he asked, his voice lifting up at the end in a sort of hopeful note. Did she remember him today? Did she remember him as her best friend (and looking towards something more) or did she still see the faithful customer who came here often?

"I was wondering," Yukino's cheeks were pink, and she seemed to be nervously fiddling with her apron. "If you wanted to go on a date with me sometime?"

He stared at her in shock, he had long ago learned to expect the unexpected in this world, but he never considered _this_ possibility.

He knew what Erza would say if she was in his position and this was Gray – _no_. He knew that she would shake her head at him and go _it's not her Sting, she doesn't have any of her memories. _

They didn't know Yukino like he did though. They didn't – couldn't know the little things that were still the same. They couldn't see the way she still crinkled his nose when he made a joke, or the way she blushed furiously when he talked to her too long, or the polite way she still said everyone's name, even if she didn't have her memories, she was still _Yukino_.

"I would love to," he said, before he could think about it too much, "Where do you want to go?"

"Uh," Yukino had turned bright red, "Wherever."

"How about I pick you up?" he asked her, without thinking about the fact that he didn't have a method of transportation for her or _anything_ – just thinking about the fact that he had a _date_.

"Sure!" she trilled, "Tonight at seven?"

He nodded. "Tonight."

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Gray was unpacking his things in a spare room when Wendy knocked.

"Come in," he said, with a friendly smile. She stepped inside and pulled the door tightly shut behind her with a snap, her head bowed in respect.

"My lord," she said, her voice quiet and reserved. "I have done what you asked."

"Oh that's good," he said, stepping forward. Wendy stood still, her eys staring blankly at the wall. He took a finger and traced the edge of her cheekbone. "The Duchess will be pleased."

"May I ask why bewitching the Yukino girl was necessary?"

"Sting is a valuable player," he said, stepping away and resuming unpacking. "He may not seem like it, but he is a big part of the decision making team. He also has an unhealthy obsession for talking to his friends from before their memories were wiped – it must be hard for him, not having anyone else who remembers."

"But having the Yukino girl –"

"She's leading him into a trap Wendy," he said patiently, "I thought I explained this. She's going to lead him into a group of the Duchess's soldiers, they'll attack – Erza and the others will go to rescue him, and they'll be killed. I heard she's assigned Jellal to that task, wouldn't want him forgetting the real reason he was there."

"Killed?" there was a trace of emotion in Wendy's voice. Gray fixed his eyes on her's, and concentrated, pulling the thread of reality from her brain. She couldn't be allowed to remember anything.

"Yes, killed," he told her, "It's for the best you know."

Wendy nodded slowly, "Killed," she whispered.

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NEXT TIME: Sting and Yukino's 'date'.


	11. Chapter 11

okay, so as you guys can tell, i failed at getting on a regular update schedule. (i blame fitzsimmons.)

Anyways, to help myself decide what to do - i have two options for you all to pick.

1 - i continue this story in the same crappy update schedule i have since February.

2 - or i write a long ass finale chapter and just _finish_ it.

Seriously - it's up to you guys.

Either way, I'll be participating in GrayZa week for the second year in a row! So look forward to that... and vote! (also, i have officially moved all my work to archive of our own because this site was giving me problems. my name on there is fitzsimmmons if you want to find me.)


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